The VirtualStudio.TV Blog

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  The Perfect Business Handshake: How to Shake Hands Well & Why It’s So Important

  7th October 2011 by Rachel Willis 232 comments

  In my first role as an Account Executive I was taught one great skill by the MD at the time; the art of a good handshake.
  
  I was asked to be part of a pitch team (I was asked to carry the bags actually, but you have to start somewhere!) As part of the team I would have to shake hands with the potential new client that we were pitching to. With the panic of dropping the bags and sitting on the edge of proceedings like a mute lemon, I thought the hand shake was the least of my worries – wrong!

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  5 Reasons why you need to have videos on your website

  27th September 2011 by Sean Malone 2 comments

  Following the launch of YouTube in 2005 there has been an explosion in the growth of web videos around the world and in the next 24 hours more than 3 billion videos will be watched on that site alone!
  
  We love producing Internet Videos andVirtual Events for our clients and really enjoy working in an industry where there is such a huge range of companies offering different creative video solutions for people all over the world.
  
  There are thousands of different uses for online video but I have listed below my 5 reasons why you need to have videos on your website.
  
  1. You want to communicate a lot of information in a few seconds; what your products, or services look like and the kind of people you are. All of this can be done in a punchy 60 second video clip, rather than more than 200 words of text. Due to the huge increase in email traffic and squeeze on available time in recent years, people today and in the future are far more likely to take the time to view a video than read a page of text...

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  Filming Video Projects in Africa - 10 Tips to Help you Plan & Prepare

  21st September 2011 by Sean Malone 1 comments

  If you regularly film and produce videos in Africa then you probably won’t need to read this post as you will know the following information already. However, if you are about to begin filming a video project in Africa for the first time, you might want to read my top ten tips to help you plan and prepare.
  
  I have worked on a number of projects in Africa - in Malawi and Madagascar and have always enjoyed my trips to the continent. Filming projects in Africa is very different to what I am used to in the UK and I have picked up a few tips and tricks I would like to share with you.
  
  1. Don’t do it. The chances are that you will be working for an NGO, or a charity, which means that money and budgets will be tight. In many cases it will be cheaper and more cost effective for you to employ another agency based in Africa to film content for you that you then edit at a later stage (although this option could also open up another box of potential problems further down the line!). However, if you can afford to work for very little, it could well be the best experience of your life!

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  Writing a script for a Presentation: Why it is so important

  7th September 2011 by Rachel Willis 19 comments

  I think the most important thing to say right from the outset is that you should not dismiss using a script in the first place. I know there is some debate about the pros and cons of scripting speeches, but the fact is that the best speeches that have ever been made were almost certainly influenced by a script writing process. The world’s most famous orators made their speeches brilliant not because they didn’t use a script, but because they learnt it in advance!
  
  Writing a script isn’t easy and those who say it is are lying! Some say that it’s better to speak off the cuff because this way you’ll appear more ‘natural’. It’s true that a badly delivered presentation where someone’s reading directly from a piece of paper with their head held down is excruciating from an audience perspective, however, this is the fault of the speaker and not the script. If you decide to use a script, the important thing is to learn it!

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  Q&A Sessions: 10 Tips on how to plan and host

  5th September 2011 by Rachel Willis 1 comments

  Speakers we work with often ask our advice on being a participant in a Q&A session. We also regularly spend time with people planning to host Q&A sessions on stage, as part of our Virtual Events or live via video conferencing services. In my experience planning a good Q&A session is easier said than done. Here are my 10 tips on how to plan and host successful Q&A sessions:
  
  1. Rehearse: Yes, you can rehearse a Q&A session. You’ll need a friend or a colleague to help you and it’s their job to ask you as many questions as possible. This will enable you to practice the art of receiving and answering questions. For example thanking the person for a great question and then referring to their name in your answer.

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  Business Presentations & Conference Speaking: 13 Tips on how to plan & prepare

  24th August 2011 by Rachel Willis 14 comments

  ‘I assumed it would all be OK’; the immortal words written on the headstone of every failed presentation.
  
  When it comes to presenting in front of an audience the major rule I would encourage you to follow is to never assume anything, always check everything!
  
  You are not just the Presenter. You’re the Producer and the Logistics Manager; sometimes you’re even the Technician as well! Like it or not, it’s up to you as the presenter to find out about all the relevant details. And the great thing is that it’s totally acceptable to be all of these people and ask as many questions and you like, it’s real A Team behaviour. (Read my blog post on "How to deal with difficult people in business" to understand the different between an A Team and B Team player!)
  
  I’ve listed below the 13 Tips you should consider using the next time you ever be lucky enough to be asked to present in front of an audience.

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  How to improve audience engagement : 5 Tips

  18th August 2011 by Rachel Willis 7 comments

  You might think you’ve delivered a world class presentation, but if the audience doesn’t agree, you’re doomed. No matter how good you think you are, it’s the audience who will decide whether you’re a success or not, so it’s a good idea to find out more about them as soon as possible.
  
  The good news is that it’s pretty easy to deliver a presentation to your audience; you just have to keep them in mind – all of the time. Constantly think ‘what do I want the audience to think, feel and do as a result of watching this presentation? Write down the answers to this question on a piece of paper. Everything you include in your presentation should be in line with these answers.
  
  Here are some more tips that should help you to connect with your audience:

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  How to change start time of YouTube videos using URL's & iframe embed codes

  15th August 2011 by Simon Malone 44 comments

  This post is all about changing the start times of your YouTube videos. It is possible to adjust the position at which YouTube videos start and finish by altering their URL and embed codes. With the explosion in the use of the web video viewers are becoming more selective about what they watch and how long they will view it for. It is more important than ever with video to get straight into key messages and points if you are to hold your audience’s attention. If a key point that is relevant to the person you are sharing the video with comes in at around 3 minutes into the video, it is far from guaranteed they will watch the previous 2:59 to get there!
  
  Altering the start time of a YouTube video can be useful for a wide range of reasons and the good news is that it is easily done by changing the odd link and a few lines of simple code. I know just the mention of the word “code” might be enough to make you quit this page, but please stay with me! I will do my best to make these tips really easy to follow and implement, and if you do have any trouble with them, just give me a call and I will happily talk you through them.

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  Cash Flow in a business: How to manage it and why it is so important

  1st August 2011 by Lorna Malone 3 comments

  “Cash Flow” are two small words that are vital to the success of any company be they a huge conglomerate or a one man band. Being a Financial Director I spend a lot of time looking through a wide range of different financial documents including Profit and Loss, Balance Sheets and Income Statements but the Cash Flow is by far the most important.
  
  Without cash your organisation will not be able to pay its creditors (no matter how small) and it will fail! I encourage everyone on the team at Virtual Studio to focus a lot of their attention on cash flow and as a result we have become almost obsessive about it. We all know the impact future work has on the business and we can predict with a high level of accuracy where the company will be financially in the future.

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  How to deal with difficult people in business

  29th July 2011 by Rachel Willis 3 comments

  There are loads of A Team people in every industry. Typically A Team people make things look easy, work hard, prepare, never take anything for granted and perhaps, most importantly, they trust the people they work with.
  
  The A Team isn’t the only team though. There is another; the “B Team”.
  
  The B Team typically lack confidence, don’t prepare, take most things for granted and don’t trust anyone.
  
  In simple terms the A Team’s objective is to complete the job in hand and in our case, make the show happen. The B Team spend their time and effort doing everything they can to stop that happening!
  
  You will all have met B Team members, you might know them well, you might work with them; you might even be one!

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